A Wraith in the Night
by Quidditch Cup
Summary: Charlie leaves a coworker at the Weasley's for the summer with the hopes they can help her. The twins take to her immediately, but Hermione beings to suspect that her abnormalitly is more than it seems. FWOC RWHG


Alright, this is a short chapter, I know, and it's all introduction, but the future chapters' will be a bit longer, I promise :)

And yes, there is romance in here, but I'm not a mary sue author, sorry. If you want those go check out the LOTR category :)

And no, I don't own HP. Go figure.

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The Weasley house was chaos, as usual. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were locked in verbal combat about the mischief of her pygmy puff, Arnold, Arthur was spreading out his collection of plugs in the livingroom in a vain attempt to 'sort them out', and Ron was hastily stashing goods from Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes under his bed in the hopes that his mother might not find them for a day or two. 

Aside from the usual chaos, there was the added preparations for the upcoming wedding to keep them busy. Fleur was once again going to be spending the week and a half til the wedding with them, while Bill made his own preparations. Harry and Hermione were set to arrive soon, along with Charlie, Lupin, Tonks, Fleur's family, half the teachers from Hogwarts and dozens of others.

Mrs. Weasley heaved a sigh as she shooed Ginny out of the kitchen with a warning to keep an eye on her pet, and slumped into a chair. Never, _never_ should she have agreed to host the wedding here as opposed to Fleur's home. As if watching over a family in a time of war wasn't enough already, there was loads of preparation to do. Briefly, she wondered how muggles managed things like this without magic.

Dragging herself back up to her feet, she set about fixing up the kitchen and preparing dinner. A moment later, A loud _thunk_ from the window caught her attention and she turned just in time to see Errol slide down the glass. Errol had never exactly been coordinated as it was, and now with the defense measures higher, windows were kept closed from dusk til dawn.

Molly flipped the latch and let the stunned bird fly in, then took great care to lock the window behind him. Errol held out a leg and allowed her to slip off the message he'd carried, and then took off for his perch and his water bowl.

Unrolling the letter, Mrs. Weasley again sat down at the table and read.

_Dear Mum,_

_I know you weren't expecting to hear from me until I arrived, but a couple of things have changed here and I was just checking to see if they'll be alright with you and Dad._

_Well, first, my boss has decided to let me go a day early, like I originally wanted. I 'spose that'll be good, as I'll be there to help you a little extra. Bad, though as it means I'll have to spend an extra day living with the twins. And no, mum, I'm not serious!_

_Then there's something else I wanted to ask you. Know it might not be possible, but I'll try anyways. _

_I want to bring a girl home with me for Bill's wedding._

_And NO, it's not what you're thinking. She's a bit too young for me...I'm not inclined towards the younger ones like Bill is, sorry. Actually, I wanted to bring her home and have her stay the rest of the summer with you._ _I know that's a pretty odd request, but I really think it would help her a lot to spend awhile in a comfortable family situation. Well, I mean, as comfortable as it can be during these times. She's a good worker here - gets along better with the dragons then most of us do, but she's a bit awkward in social situations. Really, she hardly even talk or eats with us. I suppose that's understandable, as we're all a fair amount older than her, but we've all become a little more than worried. I've arranged for her to leave here and apparate home with me, the day after tomorrow, if you want me there a day early._

_Send me an owl back immediately if that won't work._ _And if you can avoid it, don't use Errol. He dropped by with your last message when I was with a dragon and almost got himself burnt to a crisp._ _Use that ruddy bird of Ron's, just make sure you're reply is short enough for him to carry!_

_Hope to see you soon,_

_My love to you all,_

_Charlie_

Mrs. Weasley arched an eyebrow. It wasn't everyday Charlie asked them for favors, and she didn't see any problem with an extra guest over the summer - assuming Ginny was willing to share a room. Pulling out a quill and some parchment, she jotted down a quick reply.

_Charlie, _

_We'd love to have you home early. And please bring the dear girl with you_, _we'll treat her just like family._

_Love,_

_Mum_

She rolled up the parchment and gave Errol a fleeting glance, then headed for the stairs to find Ron. This summer was getting crazier with every passing day...

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Alright, R&R people! I'll have more up as soon as I can :) 


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